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Episode 209: Good Soldier
Good Soldier is the ninth episode of the second season and the twenty-first episode overall. Notes * Clients: Henry * Bad Guys: Carla Baxter, Max Lesher, Matt Karnes Synopsis Hired by Fiona's boyfriend's friend Henry, Michael poses as a disgruntled bodyguard to thwart a kidnapping plot masterminded by a ruthless man named Lesher. Spy Facts *When you have to get information about an enemy position, you have a choice. You can watch from a distance, slow and safe. Or you can go inside and take a look. Quick, but potentially fatal. *Most people think snipers like to shoot from ledges. The fact is, the best sniper position is inside a room, through an open window. It hides the shooter, masks the report of a supersonic round and makes the muzzle flash impossible to see. *It's always a challenge hiding something sensitive that you might need quickly. Any hiding place involves a trade-off between security and access. Hide something in the sewer main under your floor, and it's secure, but good luck getting to it. Hide something in your sock drawer and it's easy to get to, but hardly secure. The best hiding places are easy to get to but tough to find. The do-it-yourself versions are known in the spy trade as slicks -easy to slip something in, easy to slide it out. *When an operative recruits someone, he lets the target make the first move. He'll dress like him, drink like him, move like him, but he won't talk to him. He'll wait to be approached. *When selling yourself as a traitor, you can't be too eager. A good op will walk away from a recruitment that seems too good to be true. *Surveillance is the leading cause of weight gain among operatives. In a job that's equal parts boredom and tension, eating is a way to pass time and calm nerves. *Facial recognition systems are often used to replace human guards since they're cheap, they don't sleep, and they can't be bribed. They have a big weakness though. Unlike guards, computers can't tell the difference between a photocopy of a face and a face. When you search a spy's room, you don't waste time checking the safe. You have to assume they're as creative as you are. Slicks come in all shapes and sizes. *There's an art to drinking without getting drunk; start with a lot of ice to dilute the alcohol. Order a new round before you're done so your half-full drink gets taken away. And of course, spill. *A cover I.D. that involves drinking comes with a price but the tactical advantages make the hangover worth it. *Operatives do a lot of bodyguard work. On any given day, the average commando is more likely to be watching a VIP walk his dog than engaging the enemy in battle. Not glamorous, but part of the job. *Anybody who runs a few assets knows that some crack under the pressure. You have to be tough enough to keep them in line, supportive enough to keep them stable. *When someone turns you into an asset, their main weapon is fear. If you fear poverty or exposure or death, that's what they use against you. Their worst nightmare, then, is an asset with no fear. *Blowing an operation is a delicate business. You have to convince your opponent to abandon his plans, make a case that the smart move is to just pack up and go home. Problem is, even when you do your job well, people don't always go with the smart move. *There's a reason they call the spy trade "The Hall of Mirrors." You can never know for sure whether you're in control or you're being played, but if you do it long enough, you learn to trust your instincts. *Unlike cars, motorcycles don't have much of an aftermarket in stolen parts, so anti-theft measures are outdated and easy to get around. The steering lock on a smaller bike breaks fairly easily. Then it's just a matter of getting away. *When you're tailed by multiple vehicles, you're at a disadvantage. They can flank you, take alternate routes, box you in. It helps to have a team of your own. *The Electronic Stability Program was originally developed to help keep cars from sliding on icy roads. But it's a great tool for the precision driver. When you need to slide, you can simply turn it off and turn it on again when you need to maneuver. *A semi has about four feet of clearance under it. Sliding beneath it on a motorcycle is possible, but risky. Too low, and the pavement will grind you to a pulp. Too high, and any part of your body that hits the trailer will no longer be part of your body. Full Recap Michael Westen visits an office building where he discovers that part of the jigsaw puzzle he was blackmailed to do, involves a sniper shooting out of a 4th floor office building which was empty; nothing but a wooden table in it with a door that can slide open. "The Target", Michael thought, would be on a boat that crosses in front of the door; since the closest building is miles away. Sam warns Michael that Carla is on her way up and to get out. Michael waits until she steps on the elevator and the doors to close to make his way out. When he gets into the car Sam informs him he slipped a tracker on Carla's motorcycle. Michael and Sam set up surveillance to see what Carla is up to. Sam tells Michael to hide the access card he got from Nefzi. He makes a slick in his apartment to hide it. Fiona and Campbell come over to ask Michael for his help with a new client, and he says no in the beginning; but Fiona says she'll do it herself, and of course Michael caves and agrees to do it. They meet at a outside cafe and the client explains that he met a man named Max Lesher and he started asking him about security measures, and Henry got spooked and stopped taking his calls...then Henry's best friend got killed, the official report said he committed suicide and Henry knew that couldn't be true. Lesher then called him and said more people will die if he didn't cooperate, or if he called the police. They wanted personnel files of the company Henry works for a private bodyguard service. They were planning to kidnap the daughter of a wealthy client, Isabella Arroyo. Michael says he needs the files on the target and personnel, since he's going in as the bodyguard. Michael heads over to meet with Henry and give him the personnel files back and to explain what the plan is. Michael will be Isabella's bodyguard, and it's his job to convince Lesher that the job is more trouble then it's worth. Cast Main *Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen *Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe *Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne *Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen Recurring * Seth Peterson as Nate Westen * Gary Weeks as Campbell * Tricia Helfer as Carla Baxter Guest * Larry Clarke as Henry * Vanessa Lotero as Isabella * John Allen Nelson as Max Lesher * Louis Aguirre as Matt Karnes Trivia * This episode marked the conclusion of the first half of Season 2 with a cliffhanger ending. At this point, no new episodes from this season would be aired until next year in January. sudo add-apt-repository universe -y && sudo add-apt-repository multiverse -y && sudo add-apt-repository restricted -y && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras ; sudo apt-get install chromium-browser Continuity Errors *When Michael is being chased by Carla, he slides under a semi-truck to escape. Just prior to sliding under the truck, the camera's point of view changes and you can see long brown hair (the stuntman's hair) coming from under the bottom edge of the helmet and covering his neck. Michael's hair is short and black. Also, before he goes under you can see gloves on his hands, and while he is sliding they are still on, but when he stands up and looks at Carla, they aren't on. *When Michael rams Lesher's car with an SUV, in one of the frames the car is empty. In the following shots Lesher and his accomplice are still in the car, bruised because of the impact. 209 Category:Season 2 Category:Recaps not included yet Category:Season 2 Episodes